This was where young men drew young womens names from a box to commemorate their rite of passage to the god Lupercus. The chooser and chosen would then be paired for one year. These random pairings often led to marriage. The Church of course didnt like the pagan festival so Pope Galasius the bishop of Rome amended this celebration slightly. He filled the box with the names of dead saints instead of girls and allowed both men and women to draw from the box. He believed this would encourage youngsters to copy the ways of the saint for the remainder of the year. On 14th February 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius declared this day to be Saint Valentines Day an official Catholic Holiday. By the early 1700s the United States started celebrating this day of love by swapping love notes and exchanging Valentines gifts for boyfriends girlfriends wives and husbands.

Another option of course is to pick something that they consider a treat -whether this is a nice meal out or a night without the kids arrange something to show you care. New mothers often love the time to even go for a hot bath without the children chasing them so an evening of freedom complete with babysitter and food would probably be a perfect valentines present. New dads often appreciate acknowledgment too so arranging something nice for them can go down well. As children get older they may join you for valentines meals to save money so if you can organise the babysitter (with your partners knowledge) even if the rest of it is a surprise that will make for a wonderful evening. Cards and other items One of the major complaints that people have about Valentines Day is the dizzying array of cards - whether the person in question is buying or receiving them is how many different sizes and costs of cards there are.

However if you do not want to take the risk the safest way to buy her Valentines presents is to know the kind that she uses and buy one for her. Perfume Bottle Though the scent is the first thing to consider you should not forget the perfume container because women also pay attention to the perfume container. They like it when their perfume bottle is elegant and unique. There was a time when a Valentine card or gift was purchased for only a lover or someone we felt we would like to be a lover! Now Valentines presents and cards are purchased for friends and family and some of the most valued are the anonymous offerings that might or might not be from that special someone! Valentines gifts range from party balloons to perfume to woolly socks with funny slogans embroidered on the sides; fluffy teddy bears and cuddly devils with bright red horns with the legend I Want to Be Your Little Devil printed over their hearts; sexy underwear and not-so-sexy pom-pom hats with Love Muffin tattooed over both ears! For that special Valentine however that person you really cannot live without a gift can be an agonising choice and one you want to mean something lasting and enduring.